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Championship wrap: Cardiff stay top, rivals keep pace

The top three sides all recorded victories in the Championship on Saturday, as leaders Cardiff City edged out Millwall.

Welsh club Cardiff have been on the cusp of earning a spot in the English Premier League in recent seasons, and they will enter 2013 with a five-point lead atop the league table in their promotion quest, after Rudy Gestede's goal was enough to see off eighth-placed Millwall 1-0.

Earlier, Hull City - who sit second - accounted for Leeds United 2-0 at home, while third-placed Middlesbrough beat Blackpool 4-2 at Riverside Stadium.

Fourth-placed Crystal Palace were held to a 2-2 draw away to Nottingham Forest, with Billy Sharp equalising in the 90th minute for hosts at the City Ground, in response to Glenn Murray's brace for the visitors.

Leicester City consolidated their spot inside the top six with a 1-0 win away at Burnley, courtesy of a David Nugent goal.

Watford jumped into the sixth and final playoff place as Matej Vydra's second-half brace saw them to a 3-1 win at Brighton and Hove Albion.

Blackburn Rovers, who sacked manager Henning Berg last week, ended a three-match losing run with a 3-1 win away at bottom side Barnsley, while Bolton - who had lost two in succession - also got back to winning ways at home, beating Birmingham City 3-1.

Bristol City climbed above Peterborough United with a 4-2 home win over their relegation rivals, but the result was not enough to see them escape the bottom three.

Huddersfield Town were held to a third consecutive stalemate, as visiting Sheffield Wednesday earned a valuable away point in a 0-0 draw.

Ipswich Town made it two wins on the trot, and three unbeaten, with a 2-0 away triumph at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Derby County battled to a 1-1 away draw at 10-man Charlton Athletic, a result which saw the former break a run of two consecutive losses.